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"Jinkou" (Throat-closed dysentery) refers to the condition of having dysentery and being unable to eat, or vomiting to the extent that one cannot eat. If one suffers from dysentery but can still eat, it indicates that the Stomach Qi has not been diseased; the current inability to eat is due to damp-heat in the Spleen obstructing the stomach opening; there are also cases caused by mistakenly taking purgative medicines, which damage Stomach Qi; cases where astringents were used too early, leaving pathogenic factors inside; cases of deficiency-cold of the Spleen and Stomach invaded by dampness; cases where Qi mechanism is blocked by heat pathogen; cases where filth and accumulation in the lower jiao cause foul qi to steam upwards; cases where Liver Wood overacts and attacks the Spleen and Stomach; as well as cases of undigested food retention or fluid retention. All these conditions can cause Jinkou. It is proposed to use the Method of Regulating the Middle and Opening the Throat, modifying according to the syndrome, and taking slowly, hoping for efficacy. However, the causes of Jinkou cannot be clearly understood without careful pulse diagnosis: for instance, if the right-side pulse is floating, soft, deep, and fine, or slow, slack, and powerless, it indicates Stomach deficiency; if the pulse is surging, large, rapid, and slippery, it indicates fire-heat; if the pulse is chaotic, floating, large, or floating and wiry, it indicates turbid Qi obstructing upwards; if the pulse is deep and slippery, or the right-side pulse is choppy and stagnant, it indicates retained undigested food; if the pulse is slow and fine, it indicates Stomach cold; if the pulse is wiry and urgent, it indicates Liver Wood overaction. Treating based on detailed pulse differentiation is more accurate. If the patient absolutely does not desire food and has unceasing dysentery, it is incurable; only by using Du Shen Tang (Ginseng Decoction) combined with thick decoction of aged rice, taken frequently, might there be a faint hope of survival.

Kong Yili stated: I once treated Jinkou dysentery by boiling lotus root juice, mixing it slightly with brown sugar, and administering it frequently, while also consuming thin congee made from aged rice for many years to regulate Stomach Qi, which would surely be effective; this aligns with the intent of Shi Lian Zi (Flos Nelumbinis). In ancient times, Huang Lian (Coptidis Rhizoma) was often used to treat Jinkou dysentery; however, since it is bitter and descending, it cannot lift Yang, making it unsuitable for Stomach deficiency. Generally, Jinkou occurring at the onset of dysentery is due to heat stagnation at the stomach opening, so bitter-drying methods are appropriate. If Jinkou and anorexia persist after long-term dysentery, this indicates exhaustion of Stomach Qi; unlike initial Jinkou where turbid Qi can be broken down and accumulation expelled, here one must use large doses of Ren Shen (Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma) and Bai Zhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma), assisted by Fu Ling (Poria), Gan Cao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma), Huo Xiang (Agastaches Herba), Mu Xiang (Aucklandiae Radix), and Wei Ge Gen (Prepared Puerariae Lobatae Radix) to greatly tonify Stomach Qi and promote fluid circulation. Once Stomach Qi recovers slightly and intake of food increases, one should switch to Du Shen Tang (Ginseng Decoction), adding slight amounts of Chen Pi (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium) or Zhi Xiang Fu (Cyperi Rhizoma Preparatum), to slowly tonify and regulate Qi stagnation; this is the appropriate formula. Ingredients such as Fu Ling (Poria), which is bland and leaching; Mu Xiang (Aucklandiae Radix), which consumes Qi; and Gan Ge (Puerariae Lobatae Radix), which moves fluids, should all be excluded.

Jiang Cheng stated: This discussion surpasses common views, asserting that Jinkou at the onset of dysentery should be treated with bitter-drying methods; later, when Stomach deficiency occurs, large doses of Ren Shen (Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma) and Bai Zhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma) must serve as the sovereign drugs, and bitter-drying Huang Lian (Coptidis Rhizoma) is strictly contraindicated. This is indeed an unchangeable excellent method for treating Jinkou.